Sightseeing in Dharamshala

Kangra Art Museum:This treasure trove of the Kangra valley's arts, crafts, and rich past, displays artifacts that date back to the 5th century. The museum also includes a gallery of Kangra's famous miniature paintings and a representative collection of sculptures, pottery, and anthropological items

War Memorial:Situated in Dharamshala town. The memorial is situated near the entry point to Dharamshala commemorates the memory of those who fought valiantly for the honour and defence of the mother land. The place is ideally located in the pine forest and offers a very enjoyable walk through pine forest. Near War Memorial is the beautiful GPG College Dharamshala made during the British Era. There is also a cafe just close to War Memorial serving fast food and baverages.

Dal Lake:Situated at a height of 1775m above sea-level, Dal Lake comes under the region of Kangra district, which is 11 km away from Dharamshala. Nestling amidst lush green forests of deodar trees, the Dal Lake is famous for its scenic beauty and pilgrimage center.
On the bank of Dal Lake a famous Lord Shiva temple is located, which is considered to be very sacred.
Every year during the month of September, a huge number of tourists flock to the Dal Lake to attain famous festival celebrated to mark the presence of Lord Shiva.
The banks of the Dal Lake in Himachal Pradesh are livened up by a fair, which is attended by a big number of the Gaddi tribe in the month of September every year.

St. John's Church: The church lies in the forest between Mcleod Ganj and Forsyth Ganj. It has a monument dedicated to Lord Elgin, one of the viceroys of India, who died at Chauntra ( Mandi district ) and was buried here in 1863 A.D. The Church has lovely spotted glass windows and there is a Christian cemetery around it. It is ideally situated in the majestic 'Deodar' forest.

Tatwani & Machhrial: A Beautiful waterfall at is route to Tatwani (noted for its hot springs). This waterfall at Machhrial is twice as big as the one near the Bhagsunath Temple.
Machhrial and Tatwani are 25 km from Dharamshala. A 25 km drive from Dharamshala will bring you face to face with the two wonderful attractions of Dharamsala : hot water springs at Tatwani and a waterfall at Machhrial.
One must Enjoy picnicking among the Cools of the Hot Water Springs at Tatwani & Machhrial

The Shrine of Bhagsunath: Just 11-km from the town center of Dharamsala is the ancient temple of Bhagsunath. There are many fresh water springs close to the temple, which are considered sacred by the Hindus.

Kunal Pathri:Not far from the Kotwali bazaar, there is a little rock temple dedicated the the local goddess Durga. This is called the Kunal Pathri (3 Km). It is 3 km from Dharamshala's Kotwali Bazaar. An almost level walk leads to the temple dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Dharmkot:Surrounded by lush green deodar trees and beautiful landscapes, Dharamkot village in Mcleodganj is a famous tourist spot. The village is placed over a hilly region and it offers majestic panoramic views of the scenic Dhauladhar and Kangra District. The mighty imposing Dhauladhar hill ranges are burdening this hamlet.

Norbulingka Institute:Norbulingka is dedicated to handing down tradition and restoring standards by providing training, education and employment for Tibetans. It supports an environment in which Tibetan community and family values can flourish. It reconciles the traditional creatively and respectfully with the modern, and seeks to create an international awareness of Tibetan values and their expression in art and literature.

Chinmaya Tapovan:Chinmaya Tapovan is a modern day ashram situated at the foothills of the majestic Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas. Situated on the banks of Bindu Saras, the ashram was founded by late Swami Chimayananda. The ashram complex has a 9 m high image of Lord Hanuman, a Ram temple, a meditation hall, a school, and a health and recreation center. A nine foot high statue of My great Lord Hanuman stands at the gate, spreading his special message of loyalty and bravery. A mini forest of pine trees, which is a few hundred yards away, is a very good picnic spot with absolutely no noise around.
Chamundi Mandir, Jwalaji, Kangra Devi and Mcleodganj are the nearby interesting places.

Andretta:13 km from Palampur, the famous artist S. Sobha Singh lived here for several years. A gallery houses some of his major works. Also, there is a pottery centre at Andretta.

McLeodganj:Mcleod Ganj is charming Tibetian settlement with bustling bazaar that sell carpets,Tibetian handicrafts, and delecious tibetian foods.The Tibetan Institute of performing Arts (TIPA) is just a kilometer walk from Mcleodganj and preserves a number of musical, dance and theatrical tradition of Tibet.His Holiness Dalai Lama also resides in Mcleodganj which is now major culture centre of Tibetian culture.

Masrur:13 km south of Kangra is this large, monolithic temple, similar to the temples of Ellora. With rich ornamentation, this is the only shrine carved out of live rock in north India. Images of Lord Rama, Laxman and Sita are installed here.

Kareri:A scenic spot with a rest house located in the cool depths of pine grove. The beautiful Kareri Lake, just 13km away from the spot, is set amidst green meadows and forsts of tall oak and pine, at an altitude of 3250m. Kareri Village is situated at an altitude of about 1,983 m above sea level, is a favourite haunt for the trekking enthusiast.

Triund:Triund lies at the feet of the perpetually snow clad Dhauladhar at the height of 2975 m. The Snow Line starts at Ilaqa (3350 mtr), 5km from Triund. It is a popular picnic and trekking spot. The tracks from Rawa, Dal Lake, Dharamkot and Bhagsunag meet at a dashed known as Galu temple (2130 mtr) which has a small shrine and water point. After the snow nullah the trek rises abruptly waving through 22 curves making the ascent tiring and difficult. On the way one can spot many birds and wild animals.

Trilokpur:Trilokpur is a beautiful hamlet located around 41 km from Dharamsala and is renowned for the famous Mahamaya Bala Sundari Temple.
The natural cave temple of Trilokpur, dedicated to Lord Shiva is also a wonderful tourist attraction. The cave temple is famous for its stalactite and stalagamite formations.
Approachable by road, one can hire a taxi to reach there. The best time to visit Trilokpuri is during the month of March and September when the annual fairs are held with great pomp and splendor.
Don’t miss to visit Dhyanu Bhagt’s Temple and Shiva Mandir during your trip to Trilokpur.

Sujanpur Tira:80 km from Dharamshala, this historic town is famous for its wall paintings, temples and fort. Here, the festival of holiday a major event.

Jwalamukhi:The famous Jwalamukhi Temple is about 56 km from Dharamsala in the Valley of Beas. Unlike any other temple, this one doesn't have a statue or an image, but a constantly burning blue flame that seems to come from the rocks. Jwalamukhi Temple is a temple of the Goddess of Light. Jwalamukhi is also known as the Flaming Goddess or She of the Flaming Mouth. According to one legend, Lord Shiva conquered the Demon Jalandhara by burying him with mountains. The flames are believed to come from his mouth. The local women who worship the Goddess here believe that she will grant any wish, any desire and many songs are composed in honour of Jwalamukhi Devi and sung on the walk to the temple. First built by the Sikh Raja Kharak Singh, the temple is ornate and heavily embellished with a gilt dome, lots of gold and decorated pinnacles. The doors to the temple are of pure silver and of such beauty that Lord Harding is said to have had a copy made for himself. A canal channels the spring waters which come from a different source around the back of the temple and another local story states that the Emperor Akbar built this canal in an attempt to put out the flames in the temple. When it didn't work, he became an ardent devotee himself. In fact one of the local women's songs has lyrics that describe how Akbar came to the temple and placed his gold crown near the flames. The Goddess turned the gold to copper. Two huge fairs are held at the temple in April and mid October during the Navratries which anyone can attend. This is definitely a temple worth visiting if only for the legend that surrounds it.

Chamunda Devi:
Chamunda Devi Temple is a popular old temple in Dharamshala, which is situated approximately 15 km from the main city. This temple features the main deity of Goddess Durga, also known as Chamunda. It is believed that worshipping at this shrine can give ultimate salvation or moksha to the ancestors.
This shrine is located 10 km west of Palampur, on the banks of Banner River in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that Goddess Kali killed demons Chand and Mund, thus popularly called Goddess Chamunda.

Nurpur:Nurpur is famous for an old fort and a temple of Brij Raj. Nurpur acquired its name in 1672, when Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor named it after his wife Nurjahan. Built in the late 16th century by Raja Basu the Nurpur Fort is massive and sprawling. It spreads across a long flat plateau forming the western end of the dashed and bears signs of great architectural designs. The fort overlooks the Jabhar Khud, a tributary of the Chakki rivulet and the vast valley formed by it. Earlier name of Nurpur was Dhameri, later changed to Nurpur after Empress Nur Jahan who took a fancy to the beautiful valley. Inside, the palace walls, though crumbling, have deep niches, decorative arches and the faint signs of some paintings. The northwest walls of the fort have some deeply carved panels showing animals. Particularly graceful are the bulls in their various actions like pulling a cart, or walking in a file; there are also figures of men, women, children, the kings, gods and goddesses and birds. The overall impact of the fort is one of awe and wonder.
The famous Brij Maharaj temple, inside the fort complex, is dedicated to Lord Krishna and it has a beautiful black stone idol of the Lord. It was brought from Rajasthan during Raja Jagat Singh’s reign. The walls are decorated with exquisite paintings from Indian mythology.